Microsoft’s new ‘Your Phone’ app creates a direct line between Windows 10 PCs and smartphones

Microsoft today unveiled a new app called Your Phone that creates a direct connection between Windows PCs and competing smartphone platforms.

The app, detailed as part of the Microsoft Build developer conference, opens up a window into a smartphone from a PC. Users can, from their PC, grab photos, see notifications and view and answer text messages.

Microsoft didn’t give an availability date for Your Phone but said it will roll out to the company’s Windows Insider Program soon.

Your Phone is another step for Microsoft in its mission to bridge Windows 10 PCs with Android and iOS, an effort that has taken on even more importance given the decline of Microsoft’s own Windows Phone. This push went into overdrive last year, when the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update, announced at Build a year ago, took the unprecedented step of linking Windows with rival operating systems.

Today, Microsoft said there are 700 million Windows-connected devices and 135 million monthly active commercial Office 365 users. One of Microsoft’s latest efforts is Microsoft 365, a combination of Windows 10, Office 365 and the company’s Enterprise Mobility + Security suite.